Pearl S. Buck - a Modern Day Hero

Pearl S. Buck - A Modern Day Hero
Introduction A friend of mine gave me a copy of The Good Earth as a birthday gift. Until then, I had never heard of the literary masterpiece or the author, Pearl S. Buck. The story captivated me. I found myself engrossed in the story of the poor farmer Wang Lung whose love for his land allowed him to overcome many odds including famine, flood and a revolution. Through hard work and dedication, Wang Lung became one of the wealthiest landowners in the Anweih province of China. Sadly, Wang Lung's two sons did not share his passion for "the good earth" and cared only for their bequest. Wang Lung was still on his death bed when the two sons decided that as soon as their father died, they would sell the land and split their inheritance (Buck, P.S., 1931). The Good Earth instantly became one of my favorite books and Pearl S. Buck, one of my favorite authors. Peter Conn wrote the introduction of the book in the form of a short biography of the author. I usually do not read the introductions until after I read the story because I never want other people's review to influence my own opinion of the book. So, I saved the introductory pages for last. It wasn't until I read of Pearl S. Buck's memoirs that I began to truly admire her, not only for her writing but for her humanitarian and altruistic contributions. Who is Pearl S. Buck?

Pearl Sydenstricker was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia in 1892. Her missionary parents, Absalom and Carrie Sydenstricker brought her to China when she was three months old. By the time she was four, she spoke and wrote Chinese as well as English (Conn, NDA). She was at first educated by her mother and tutored by a Chinese Confucian Scholar (Author's Calendar, 2002). While her parents carried out their Christian mission all over the Chinkiang province of China, Pearl was left under the care of her "amah" or governess. It was her amah that fascinated her with Chinese folklores and mythical tales of ancient magic, fairies and dragons (Conn, NDA). Growing up, Pearl spent hours wandering the streets of Chinkiang observing how the people lived. She became familiar with their rituals, practices, and traditions. Her first hand experience with the Chinese culture led her to write many novels, including her most critically acclaimed book, The Good Earth. Her intimate knowledge of the Chinese culture was evident in the way she wrote. In the novel, Pearl gave detailed account of Chinese traditions such as the making of moon cakes during New Year celebrations and wearing of white robes at funerals. She also described how ordinary Chinese people lived. She wrote about women sewing shoes out of layers of paper, water carriers running to and fro, and of men transporting passengers throughout the city on a ricksha (Conn, NDA). A ricksha is a two-wheeled chair transport, usually born on the shoulders by the men who pulled them (Merriam-Webster, NDA). The Boxer Rebellion happened in 1900 when Chinese nationalists started an uprising in order to drive out Western intruders. They attacked Western settlements, killing men, women, and children. For safety, the Sydenstrickers evacuated to Shanghai and from there, sailed to San Francisco. This was Pearl's first time returning to the United States since she was a baby (Conn, NDA). In 1902, the Sydenstrickers returned to China to continue their mission. At the age of seventeen, Pearl was enrolled at Miss Jewel's, a distinguished English boarding school in Shanghai, then the largest city in Asia. She moved back to Virginia in 1910 where she attended Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg to study Psychology. After her graduation, Pearl returned to China in 1914 when her mother became seriously ill. There, she started her career as an English teacher for the Presbyterian Board of Missions (Conn, NDA). During a summer retreat for missionary workers at Kuling in the Nanking province, Pearl met John...

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...conversations and talking fluently at age four. PearlS. Buck not only could speak fluently at age four but she could speak two languages, which were English and Chinese. English and Chinese are the most complicated languages to speak and write. PearlS. Buck wrote numerous influential books and used her extraordinary education to ultimately lead to her success as a writer.
Pearl Sydenstricker was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia, on June 26, 1892 (PearlBuck Biography). Her parents, Absalom and Caroline Sydenstricker, were Presbyterian missionaries (PearlBuck Biography). At the time of her birth her parents were on a twelve-year leave from the duty of their activities in Chinkiang, China (PearlBuck Biography). The Sydenstrickers had returned to Hillsboro after losing all but two of their children to tropical disease (PearlBuck Biography). Despite their experience, they returned to China when Pearl was just five months old (PearlBuck Biography).
Unlike other foreign families, the Sydenstrickers lived in the Chinese villages. Buck and her family lived among the Chinese people (PearlBuck Biography). She played with Chinese children and visited their homes; she...

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In PearlS. Buck’s The Good Earth, describes as story of a poor family gaining wealth. Unfortunately, this wealth is taken too lightly by the sons of the main character. This wealth destroys the traditional values of the family first when Wang Lung brings home a second woman, twhen when his eldest son senselessly splurges on his home and when when his sons ignore the land because of the family’s recently acquired wealth.
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More flood waters and heavy rains cause aA great flood occurs in Wang lung’s town. Water is covering all of his fields so he becomes idle and restless. He goes to the shops in town and after several days he finally visits the new modern tea shop similar to buildings in the south,, at the new tea shop he sees Lotus’s picture and pays to see her. Wang Lung is tired of being looked down upon for being a farmer. After several weeks of visiting Lotus at the tea shop he brings furnishes a room for her in herhis home. He is the first in his family to have two wives. HisWang Lung’s father notices Lotus and shouts “There is a harlot here!” (Buck 210). His father continues with saying, “I had one woman and my father had one woman and we farmed the land” (210). The wealth allows him Being able to afford a second wife and to hire workers which causes him so that he mightto begin drifting away from...

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